World failed Gaza, not Muslim leaders: Arab League Secretary-General

It is not the Muslim world, but the whole world which failed Palestine and Gaza due to the protection given to Israel by the United States, the influential Arab League has said in a stinging rebuke to global leaders over the genocidal military campaign in the besieged enclave.

The complicity of the world is “very clear”, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, told TRT World on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum held in the Turkish city of Antalya between March 1-3.

“And this has put the United States in a totally different category, morally and politically.”

The 22-member Arab League – which includes Palestine – has been very vocal in its criticism of Israel’s relentless offensive in Gaza that has left more than 30,000 people dead, most of them women and children.

The Arab League has also been pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Secretary-General said Muslim leaders “could do whatever they could,” and “they have done their part” in Israel’s five-month-long war on Gaza.

Diplomatic efforts were not “little” but “a lot,” he added.

“Understandably, I totally understand (the criticism of Arab leaders), but what was done diplomatically is really not very, very little. It’s a lot.”

In response to mounting criticism of Muslim leaders for allegedly failing to leverage their ties with Israel, Zaki deemed such accusations "unfair".

He acknowledged the demand for more action but redirected attention to the broader systemic issues at play.

“I understand why there is talk (criticism) about this issue. There will always be people who demand more.”

By framing the war on Gaza within the context of broader systemic failures, Zaki aimed to shift the focus from Arab leaders to individual leaders to a global governance framework.

“I just tell them that the problem is much, much bigger than the Muslim world, and it is a world order problem,” he said.

“It (the world order) is not doing well, and I think it will have repercussions in the years to come.”

Regarding Syria’s readmission to the Arab League, though the situation is still not conducive to peace, the Secretary-General said they planned to “put Syria on the right track”.

“It will take a long time to readress (all issues). There is an Arab contact group on that. We hope that it will be able to fulfil its mandate. And if that happens, I think we will manage to put Syria on the right track.”